It is known that a rocket motor comprises a combustion chamber and a nozzle connected by a nozzle neck and that, in order to orient in flight an airborne vehicle equipped with a rocket motor, it is advantageous to control the rocket motor for orientation. To do this, in a known manner, the end of the combustion chamber opposite to the nozzle neck is articulated, for example by means of a universal joint, on the structure of the airborne vehicle, and actuation means, such as actuators, are provided to pivot the rocket motor with respect to this articulated end of the combustion chamber. This way of proceeding has the drawback that, since the orifice for ejecting gases from the nozzle is separated from the articulated end of the combustion chamber by the entire length of the rocket motor, the movement of the orifice for ejecting gases from the nozzle is significant in the transverse direction. Consequently the cowling of the airborne vehicle enclosing the rocket motor must have a large diameter to allow the transverse movement of the orifice for ejecting gases from the nozzle.
The result of this is that this large cowling is the source of high aerodynamic drag which impairs the performance of the airborne vehicle.